Pictured: At St. John’s Episcopal Church in Dallas after our Fifth Encounter with SMU Organist Benjamin Kolodziej: Dr. Andrew Yox, José Fuentes, Jennifer Gardzina, Adam Richards, Araceli Solis, Luke McCraw, Hailey Randall, Ian Mares, Levi Teague, and Johnathan Ventura.
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
For the 37th time, thanks to honors donors such as Drs. Jim and Paula Archer, NTCC honors students were able to take a free, day-trip to a big city—in this case, Dallas. Eight honors students, honors director, Dr. Andrew Yox, and Jennifer Gardzina, the wife of Plant Services Director Jeff Gardzina, and an accounting assistant in the business office of NTCC, left campus at 7:45 a.m., 30 January in two vans. They enjoyed a whirlwind experience that began with free breakfasts at Starbucks in Greenville, and ended with the musical “Curtains,” at the Granville Theatre in Garland. The itinerary also included a pipe organ encounter with SMU organist, Benjamin Kolodziej, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, time at the Galleria Mall, and a visit to the Dallas Art Museum and Arts District. Each student received a $50 stipend to spend on meals or as they saw fit for the trip.
Donors made this trip possible in more than one way. For the second time, Jennifer Gardzina, volunteered to drive the honors students on a day-long trip. The program is indebted to the many ways Gardzina has already devoted her time to the program and its students.
Honors Northeast is now accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year. 1 March is the deadline for obtaining an optimal scholarship. The program confers institutional and private scholarships, as well as many other amenities. Talented public high school students, high school seniors, homeschoolers in transition, parents, and students with less than 30 hours at NTCC are welcome to contact Dr. Andrew P. Yox, Honors Director, at ayox@ntcc.edu, and/or apply through the honors website: <www.ntcc.edu/honors>.
